West Rockhill Historical Society seeks to move into home of its own

It’s been more than a year since the Pennridge Regional Police Department moved from a converted farmhouse to its new headquarters.

West Rockhill officials had hoped to rent out the James house, but haven’t found a tenant, so the West Rockhill Township Historical Society is renewing a request that an agreement be worked out to have the group move into the house on Ridge Road.

The 10-year-old group now meets at the township offices. The meetings are at 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month.

Moving into the James house, which is across the street from the township offices, would give the group a permanent home and more visibility, fostering greater awareness and a larger impact on the municipality, according to an April 3 WRHS letter to the township.

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It would also provide museum space for artifacts collected over the years to be displayed, the WRHS said in the letter, which was briefly discussed at the April 17 West Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

“The current storage space, designed, paid for and built by the Historical Society in the township building basement is overcrowded, difficult to organize/maintain and requires continued interruption of township staff in order to access,” the letter said.

Work already done to turn the house into the former police headquarters would fit in with what’s needed by the WRHS, the letter said.

“Access, parking, lighting, sidewalks, ramps, and internal renovations make this an ideal structure to house the Historical Society and its growing collection,” it said.

The request was tabled by the board April 17, with a decision to be made at a later date.

“I haven’t had a chance to go through it thoroughly,” board Chairman Jay Keyser said.

In another matter at the meeting, Township Manager Greg Lippincott said there’s already been discussion with Pennsylvania Turnpike officials about the need for things such as pedestrian and bicycle crossings when the turnpike is widened in the area of West Rockhill and Milford townships.

When he went to the recent open house for the widening plans in the section that will be done before that, though — Lower Salford, Franconia and Salford townships — he was surprised to learn the issue hadn’t been raised there, he said.

“West Rockhill Township was concerned to note that the Turnpike Commission had not contacted any of the impacted municipalities south of West Rockhill Township regarding necessary sidewalk, pedestrian or bicycle trail crossings to be included in the Reconstruction and Widening Project for Route 476 at the Public Officials Briefing on March 28, 2013,” according to a letter to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission signed by the West Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors.

West Rockhill, which is in Bucks County, borders Franconia and Salford, which are in Montgomery County.

“Since our trails connect into the Montgomery County trails, we think it’s important to coordinate,” Lippincott said.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation guidelines require alternative forms of transportation be taken into consideration when road projects are designed, according to the letter.

“This part of the planning process becomes especially vital with a project of this scope and magnitude bisecting counties and local municipalities,” the letter says.

“County and municipal trail and greenway maps and comprehensive plans should be reviewed by the Project Manager at meetings with local officials as soon as possible prior to the Final design stage of this project,” the letter concludes. “Otherwise, it will be virtually impossible to provide pedestrian and bicycle sidewalk and trail crossings of this massive 6-lane highway in the foreseeable future.”

If crossings aren’t included in the initial plans, the crossings will likely never be added, township officials said.

“Once that road’s built, you’re never going to get people across it. It’ll be like the Berlin wall,” Judith Decker, township secretary/assistant manager, said.

“I think this should definitely be looked at,” Keyser said.

The project will widen the turnpike from its current four to six lanes. The road widening in the Lower Salford, Franconia and Salford sections is scheduled for 2016 through 2020. Bridgework in connection with that section is scheduled to begin soon.

Copies of the letter are also being sent to West Rockhill’s state legislators, PennDOT, Pennsylvania’s secretary of transportation, the Bucks and Montgomery County planning commissions and Franconia, Salford and Lower Salford townships.